Artists of color who have studios in Northeast Minneapolis are helping the largely white suburban community around White Bear Center for the Arts (WBCA) appreciate the lived experience of black people. Beverly Tipton Hammond and Drew Hammond participated last fall with Healing the Breach by AHHA with Donald Walker and Kennedy Simpson. The opening for Peyton Scott Russell for his retrospective show is Thursday, February 2.
AHHA stands for Artistry, Honesty, Healing Action! The “Healing the Breach by AHHA!” 2022 show focused on art inspired by their lived experience as Black people in America; reflecting on their work and working to engage in transformative conversations and activities. Their focus was to inspire a deeper connection of community.
At that opening, all four artists said powerful statements and asked questions to the audience to help them engage in better dialog. Beverly is a force of nature, of positive energy, and she invites happiness and joy to any conversation you have with her. One audience member stood up and talked about White Bear Lake is a suburban community, predominantly of white people. The AHHA show was a watershed moment for him. He was trying to rethink diversity, and really embrace the bringing of different voices and work to the art center.
While this is a common refrain in many communities, including the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, WBCA has been walking the walk. Talking with Sara Nephew, the Creative Services Director, she stated that WBAC has been focused on the topic of diversity for many years before the current high profile issues on race took new precedence. Past shows, archived here, include “Disquietude” curated by Leslie Barlow featuring Bris Carbajal, Jacqueline W. Nuzzo, Leslie Barlow, Maiya Lea Hartman and Philipo Dyauli. There have been multiple gallery shows by people of color since 2018.
Exhibitions manager Karna Holub explained the art center’s programming decision making process. Their mission: Enrich lives by Celebrating Art, Nourish Imagination by Inspiring Creativity, Build Understanding by Connecting People. Holub, who is new to this position but has been with WBCA for more than four years, said their mission was tested after George Floyd’s murder and the arts community focused on how they could really live up to the mission aspirations. She said the community members who attended the shows have been overwhelmingly supportive. There have been lots of new conversations and a better understanding of topics once not talked about.
She described small details that led to big changes, referring to how the artists of AHHA show created a safe space for people to talk by, for example, arranging the chairs to made the room more intimate and approachable.
Explore Peyton’s work and learn more about the arts center’s programming working to overcome some of these deeper cultural challenges to better understand each other. The show will be up for a month. Opening Reception: February 2, 2023, 6:30-8:30 p.m. with artist talk at 7:00 p.m. Free with registration at https://whitebeararts.org/ EVENT ID: GS32. Gallery tours and discussions are planned for Feb. 7 and 9, details on the website. The center is at 4971 Long Ave., White Bear Lake, MN 55110, phone 651-407-0597.
Article by Josh Blanc, photos courtesy of the artists and WBCA